YMCA OF THE PINES
SUMMER CAMPS | RETREATS |
FAMILY PROGRAMS | CHILDCARE | WILDERNESS TRIPS
Hello dear readers… Every so often, when the time is right, I like to dive back in to our recipe archives and bring back an old favorite or Camp standard to share with any new readers or remind old ones about something delicious that’s cooking here at Camp. I thought this one was fitting, since we are in the middle of our Labor Day Family Camp Weekend… and we had these as part of our BBQ Dinner last night… Ribs!! […]
Every year thousands of folks come out to Camp to enjoy nature. Camp is filled with amazing trees, lakes, games and memories. But...with all that nature has to offer, we have to deal with chiggers, ticks and bugs. I learned really quickly my first summer about chiggers and ticks. Not have lived on the East Coast for ten plus years, I kind of forgot what it felt like to get a tick bit. I also learned really quickly about chiggers. I have never been a bug spray person, but now that I live in South Jersey...I'm a big fan. So [...]
My 20th consecutive Staff Orientation will be starting in a few weeks and it is still one of my favorite events of the the year. The 2013 Staff Team will be getting together for the first time ever. We'll be doing our first Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the summer. Many returning staff members will be moving into new positions. There will be lots of singing! New staff will have their first experience at our Behind Closed Doors role playing activity. BOB DITTER WILL BE OUR SPECIAL GUEST PRESENTER!!!! The first Camp Dance of the summer will be rocking! Old [...]
As I have come to grow older birthdays have held less significance for me in terms of my age. I have long since hit all of the ages where I gain new rights and am considered more an adult (I do not count the right to rent a car and drive a recreational vehicle that I earned on my most recent birthday as milestone privileges). As a result, my birthday has meant that when people ask me how old I am, I need to remember to give a number that is one larger than the age that I had been [...]
Hello all! Here is an interesting Gluten Free recipe that was shared with me by a long time alumni and constant pair of helping hands at our Roll Up Your Sleeves weekends, Kim Hannum. I said "interesting" recipe because the replacement for flour is mashed garbanzo beans (chick peas)!! Here's what you need... 1 bag of chocolate chips, melted 2 cups garbanzo beans (fresh cooked or canned (and rinsed) is fine) 4 eggs 3/4 cup sugar 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. vanilla extract Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. ... and here's how simple it is... Melt the [...]
Please come out and join us at Camp Ockanickon, Camp Matollionequay and Lake Stockwell for our 3rd open house of the season. Tours will be leaving from the Ockanickon Dining Hall (Ocky & Stockwell) and the Matollionequay Dining Hall (Matolly) from 1-4pm on Sunday May 19th. This is the perfect opportunity to learn about all the fun and exciting program we have lined up for this summer, meet our summer camp staff and enjoy some delicious s’mores! There is no RSVP needed…just swing on over! All of our open houses are rain or shine…but we always keep our fingers crossed [...]
Thank you to former Matolly Staff Member, Danielle Wiest, for sharing this great Thought of the Day. Can't you picture a 7-year old camper doing this!!! A little boy went out to the backyard to play with a baseball and bat. He said to himself "I am the best hitter in all the world!" Then he threw the ball up in the air and took a swing at it, but he missed. Without a moment’s hesitation, he picked up the ball and tossed it in the air again, saying as he swung the bat, "I am the best hitter in [...]
Watching the seasons change our environment is one of the great benefits to living here at camp. I love the sudden change when the leaves grow back and everything is green again. The changing seasons always bring about new families staying here at camp. For instance the geese are raising five babies that follow them around near the lake everyday. Behind Ockenhouse there are two wood ducks named Wilma and Fred waiting on their eggs to hatch. Watching deer in the Matolly field eating with their young is a sight to see. If you haven’t gotten a chance recently to [...]
Hello all! I would just like to take a moment out of my busy day, on this very special day, to tell you how blessed I am to have such strong, smart and simply amazing women in my life. Today is Mother's Day... but to me, every day should be Mother's Day. Including my wife, Gabrielle, our very own Matollionequay Girl's Camp Director, there are 9 working mothers on our immediate staff here on the property at YMCA Camp Ockanickon... and a few others working at our School's Out sites. That number also increases as we have more working Moms [...]